When I was still living in Georgia, I often drove to the coast or the local seafood market to get live Blue Crabs, especially if my parents were coming for a weekend visit.
I’d buy eight medium to large sized crabs and prepped everything for a tasty, spicy Cuban-Creole style crab recipe my parents had been making me since I was a child, living in Miami. We spent many weekends on the west coast of Florida crabbing and making this meal!
During one trip Naples my parents had booked a motel room near the ocean. Dad was intent on crabbing and the motel had a full kitchen mom would use to make us this meal.
I was about eight or nine years old during this trip, but it is one vacation I’ll always remember. My brother decided to stay with friends instead of making the trip to Naples, so the back seat of the station wagon was just my dog April and me. We checked into the motel and the ocean was across the street.
Dad prepped the crab traps with chunks of chicken and into the water they went. We hung out by the pool, played in the ocean with my dog and went to sleep later that night. The following morning dad checked the traps, and they were LOADED – success.
Then the fun began. Mom had the pot of boiling water going and dad was reaching into the traps with kitchen tongs and pulling out the crabs. One by one they went into the water until one of them, possibly realizing his future demise, jumped out of the trap and started running across the kitchen floor.
Curious about the strange creature my dog started to chase the crab and the crustacean went into defense mode, pinchers up and ready. “Stay away from the crab it will pinch your snout off,” dad yelled at April in Spanish. Being a bright and obviously bi-lingual German Shepherd April backed away.
For the next 20 minutes dad and I chased that crab around the motel room, mom watched as she continued to prepare the ones we managed to get in the pot. April cornered the crab next to the front door, I used another pot and quickly covered the crab, “Got it,” I yelled.
Dad came over with the tongs and grabbed the sucker. I thought he was ready to toss the crab into the water but instead he walked outside, across the street and tossed him back into the ocean.
“But dad, we had him,” I said.
“That S.O.B. fought for his life, so he gets a chance to swim again,” dad said laughing.
Whenever mom and I make this recipe now, we fondly recall that trip.
Cangrejos Enchilados
- Blue Crabs (8 medium to large sized blue crabs)
- 1 Tablespoon capers
- 1 tablespoon diced Spanish Olives with pimento
- White wine (1 bottle)
- 2 (8 ounce) cans of tomato sauce
- ¼ cup Worcestershire Sauce
- ¼ teaspoon of the following:
- Cumin, Cayenne Pepper, Onion powder, Garlic powder, Italian seasoning
- 1 pack of Sazon (You can find this in the Latin or Hispanic Food section of most stores)
- ¼ cup Olive oil
- Sliced green and yellow bell peppers (1/2 of each)
- Half a sliced sweet onion
The main thing is to have the water boiling before tossing in the crabs. Boil them for a few minutes, until the shell turns bright red.
Take them out of the boiling water and set them aside until they cool down enough to be handled by hand. Remove the front claws and place them in a bowl.
Remove the carpus (their tough outer shell making up the head) and toss those away. Clean out the chest area of the crab by removing the tough outer tissue. Then snap or cut the chest in half and toss those in the same bowl with the claws.
In a deep casserole pan add the olive oil, spices, Worcestershire Sauce, olives, capers and diced veggies and get them cooking. As the veggies begin to sweat, add the tomato sauce.
Pour a glass of wine, one for you and one for a guest…NEARLY THE WHOLE REST OF THE BOTTLE goes in the sauce. Let that come to a strong simmer then toss in all the crab.
Let it all simmer for about three minutes, then turn the heat to medium-low, cover and let that go for about 15-20 minutes. Occasionally stir the crab in the sauce to get all that sauce mixed in and settled into all the crevices.
I prefer my crabs served over rice so I can spoon some of the sauce over it. As for the spice level, add as much or as little cayenne pepper to your preferred heat preference.
Make sure to wear a bib or have a wet towel nearby as you crack into the crab shell and dig out the meat. Happy eating!
Looking for other treats, drop me an email at: PattyL@Brewermediagroup.com